COLIN ON CULTURE
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The Farmers Market
Culture isn’t something that’s written in stone, it's driven by social consensus and can be changed at any time.
Truth without the thorns
Lose the jargon and communicate with directness because when your team know where they stand they feel safer.
Effective communication
When you have mastered a clear message you have a skill that you will use every day.
Communication: the key to success
Communication permeates every aspect of our working lives. From explaining strategies, crafting compelling presentations and negotiating deals to resolving conflicts and building trust-based relationships. Effective communication shapes outcomes at every turn.
Saying no
One of the best skills we can learn, therefore, is the ability to say ‘no’ and sometimes, ‘no’ is a complete sentence. That’s not to say that we deliver the message rudely or with attitude, indeed the opposite is true.
Change confusion
We’re in an era of change fatigue but what’s really behind the failure to engage?
Saying what needs to be said
The best organisations aren't just places where people say what needs to be said. They're places where people know how to say it in a way that makes everyone better.
Why Psychological Safety isn't a 'Nice to Have'
Psychological safety isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s a ‘must have’ if you want high performance. However, not enough people understand how to create it. Read on to learn what it actually means and how to ‘do’ it in practice.
Are Your Stories Killing Your Culture?
Stories are the primary means of passing down cultural knowledge, values and beliefs from one generation of employees to the next. Understanding this and reframing negative narratives, seeking out positive tales and not giving air time to gossip are simple ways to ensure your culture doesn’t become a story no one wants to hear.
How to be an email trailblazer
Too much email is everyone’s problem. Yet is can be simple to solve - provided there’s agreement on some behavioral changes.
Lazy Communication Hurts Culture
Communication is an important culture conduit that we often get very wrong.
By putting just a little more thought and intent into our communication we can build bridges rather than put up walls.
Are you building a culture or a cult?
If a culture demands that you give up who you are and what you stand for is it more of a cult? Control is a key part of a cult so check yourself and make sure you’re not asking everyone to drink the Kool-Aid.
Is your culture making good people bad?
No one sets out to do a bad job but when the systems and senior leadership let them down there are toxic times ahead. If the right conditions bring out the best in people, then the opposite is also true.
The Return to the Office: Boom or Bust?
This is an opportunity - don’t waste it! Do the groundwork to create a well defined hybrid culture and you stand a better chance of creating something sustainable that harnesses the best of both worlds.
5 Phrases Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Consistently Use
Of course you must back them up with your behaviours, but with a little effort and intent you can role model humanity at work!
The Six Considerations of Hybrid Working
You don’t go to work, you do it… and for hybrid to be a successful scenario for all involved we are talking about more than a policy tweak.
In A Hybrid World, Managers Need To Up Their Game
The way we work has changed so it stands to reason the skills of managers must change too. Many feel, understandably, out of their depth when it comes to remote teams. What can help?